ArcLight and the Cinerama Dome closed for good — a premium cinema chain gone

On April 12, 2021 Decurion Corporation, the family-owned company behind both ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres, announced that both chains would close permanently — more than 300 screens across California, including the landmark Hollywood Cinerama Dome. ArcLight had been one of the country's most loved cinema brands, known for its premium, reserved-seating experience.

The reason given was blunt: the chains had suffered "heavy losses during the COVID-19 pandemic" and the company "does not have a viable way forward". The cinemas had been shut since March 2020 — more than 13 months — with California's reopening rules keeping them dark while streaming took over the audience.

The landlord pressure was mounting underneath. The Culver City ArcLight had not paid its $181,900 rent for March 2021, and the full-year obligation at that location was about $2.2 million — a pattern across the portfolio as pandemic closures stretched on.

The announcement stunned Hollywood: the Cinerama Dome had hosted premieres for decades, and the chain's loyal customer base had expected a reopening, not an ending. Decurion said the employees would not be returning, and the screens went dark for good.